The Accidental Romeo Read online

  ‘This is Marnie,’ Harry introduced her. ‘You both met her at the hospital.’

  Adam looked up and smiled and said hello, but Charlotte’s eyes narrowed. ‘A nurse isn’t a nanny.’

  ‘I’m not a nanny,’ Marnie said. ‘I’m here to help look after you so that Daddy can work.’

  ‘Have you looked after children before?’

  ‘Charlotte,’ Harry warned.

  ‘It’s fine,’ Marnie said. ‘I don’t mind being interviewed—I’d want to know who was looking after me too.’ She turned to Charlotte. ‘I’ve looked after plenty of children and I have lots of nieces and nephews and many younger brothers, so I’ve have a bit more of a head start than most.’

  Harry showed her around—it was a lovely old home, though the stairs creaked terribly as Harry lifted her case upstairs.

  ‘It’s a beautiful home.’

  ‘It’s needs a demolition ball,’ Harry said. ‘It looks nice but everything needs fixing, apart from this...’

  He opened a door and Marnie almost whimpered at the sight of a beautiful bathroom—it was completely white except for a few dots of dark tiles on the floor. ‘It’s the one thing that has been renovated,’ Harry said. ‘I think they gave up after that. I can’t wait to see the back of it.’

  Marnie was surprised. Surely this home would be filled with memories and the last thing he would want was to let it go, but he must have read her confusion.

  ‘Oh, no...’ Harry shook his head. ‘We’d just sold our house and were looking for somewhere when Jill died... It was hell—the buyers had sold too and there was no getting out of it. I didn’t want the upheaval for the children.’

  ‘Poor things.’ It just poured out of her mouth. ‘I hated moving, more than anything, I hated leaving Ireland and then when we had to leave Perth...’ Marnie stopped. She didn’t really like talking about herself but she was just trying to say that she understood how hard it must have been for the children to move so close to losing their mum.

  ‘It wasn’t exactly great timing,’ Harry said when Marnie went quiet, ‘but there was no real choice, so I rented this. Your friend Dave put me onto it.’

  ‘Ah, Dave!’ Marnie gave a bitter smile.

  ‘It was supposed to be for six months...’ He turned round and there was Charlotte, standing at the top of the stairs watching them.

  ‘I’m itchy,’ she said.

  ‘I’ll just show Marnie her room and then I’ll come and put some cream on.’

  They walked down the hall and he opened a door and put Marnie’s case inside. ‘I hope this is okay.’

  ‘It’s lovely.’ It was, a large room with an iron bed dressed in white linen and lovely wooden furnishings that mismatched perfectly.

  Charlotte, who had followed them, stood in the doorway and watched as Harry showed Marnie how the dodgy windows worked. ‘Do you want to come in and help me put some things away?’ Marnie offered.

  ‘We’re not allowed in the nanny’s room,’ Charlotte said, and huffed off.

  ‘Fair enough,’ Marnie said.

  ‘She’s normally much more friendly.’

  ‘She’s normally not covered in spots,’ Marnie pointed out, as Harry, a touch awkward now, headed for the door. ‘Do you want to go through our diaries?’ Marnie suggested. ‘Get it out of the way?’

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘I’ll just unpack and I’ll be down.’

  Marnie unpacked her case—it only took a moment. She put her clothes in the wardrobe and hung her dressing gown up on the door and sorted out her toiletries. She put Declan’s photo in the drawer of the bedside table. She didn’t want questions if the children came peeking, but she couldn’t bear to leave him at home, then she headed downstairs.

  It was a working arrangement.

  They sat at a large table and drank tea as they tried to sort out the upcoming week. ‘I phoned Helen and I’ve got the shifts she can do, as well as Lazlo, he’s on now and I’m going in tomorrow.’

  ‘Who’s Lazlo?’

  ‘He used to work there and said that he can come in for a couple of shifts...’

  Marnie looked at the schedule and saw Harry pencilled in for a shift on Friday night.

  ‘I’m out that night,’ Marnie said, and didn’t elaborate, but Harry’s jaw did tighten just a fraction as he recalled that she was going to the ballet.

  With Matthew.

  ‘Not a problem.’ Harry cleared his throat before continuing. ‘Okay, if I can get Helen to cover that night I can, if it’s okay with you, be on call for the rest of the weekend and then Juan’s back.’

  It was a working arrangement.

  She made that very clear.

  When Harry opened a bottle of wine once the kids had gone to bed, Marnie politely declined.

  ‘I’m going to have that bath.’

  ‘Sure.’

  She was a strange person, Harry thought—Marnie didn’t even come down and say goodnight. But, ages later, when he headed for bed himself, he could hear her chatting away in her room and it took a moment for it to click that she was on the computer.

  ‘You’re living with him?’ Siobhan checked, and Marnie was very glad for her headphones. ‘You’ve slept with him and you’ve moved in but there’s nothing going on?’

  ‘You’re making this more complicated than it is,’ Marnie said.

  ‘What does Matthew have to say about it?’

  ‘I don’t discuss things like that with Matthew,’ Marnie said, but she did worry for a moment. ‘Matthew and I...’ She looked at Siobhan, who’d been married for nine years now and just loved hearing about friends with benefits and her best friend’s rather glamorous life. ‘I don’t know,’ Marnie admitted.

  ‘What would Harry have to say about Matthew?’

  ‘Nothing!’ Marnie said. ‘Because he’s not going to find out.’

  Except Harry had been there when Matthew had invited her to the ballet.

  Marnie’s conscience was pricking as she turned off the computer and tried to get to sleep.

  She and Harry had been a one-off, an indulgence, safe in the knowledge they wouldn’t be working together again.

  See what happens when you take your eye off the ball, Marnie scolded herself.

  It certainly wouldn’t be happening again.

  No, there was no hint of anything. The next morning she was up and dressed and even had lipstick on as Harry held up the kettle and asked if she wanted tea.

  ‘Leave the tea bag in this time,’ Marnie said.

  ‘You’re sure you don’t mind doing this?’ Harry checked. ‘Charlotte’s been up half the night crying. It’s hardly a great day off for you.’

  ‘Harry, I’m just relieved to know that the place is being looked after. It’s been nothing but a headache trying to get the department covered.’ She turned as Adam came down. ‘Good morning.’

  ‘Morning, Marnie.’

  She was lovely to Adam. She chatted away and found out that he’d like cornflakes and juice and yet, Harry couldn’t put his finger on it, she still held back. Then Charlotte appeared.

  ‘Do you want babies?’ Charlotte asked as Marnie sorted out her breakfast.

  ‘Charlotte,’ Harry scolded.

  ‘It’s fine.’ Marnie smiled. ‘No, Charlotte, I don’t want babies.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because...’ Marnie filled a bowl with cornflakes as she spoke ‘...I like my work, I like my holidays, I like lots of things. And,’ Marnie added, ‘as I told you, I had lots of younger brothers. I’ve changed more nappies than most!’

  ‘Don’t scratch,’ Harry warned, as Charlotte started to.

  ‘I keep forgetting.’

  ‘I’ll paint your nails red later,’ Marnie said. ‘That will remind you.’r />
  After Harry had gone, she did paint Charlotte’s nails red and then she went about opening the windows and stripping the beds between putting on anti-itch cream at various times throughout the day.

  ‘Do you like our house?’ Charlotte asked as she showed her the cupboard at the top of the stairs where the fresh sheets were kept.

  ‘I think it’s lovely,’ Marnie said, as she pulled out some sheets. ‘Right! Which ones are yours, Adam?’

  ‘The blue ones, silly,’ said Charlotte. ‘Mine are pink.’

  * * *

  Harry could not have done it without her.

  The children could not have been better looked after and a wary Charlotte had quickly warmed to Marnie’s chatter and rather offbeat humour. Despite refusing to iron a thing for Harry, Marnie hauled out the ironing board on the Tuesday evening and made a major dint in the piles of children’s bedding and clothing.

  ‘Do you ever stop?’ Charlotte asked. She was helping Marnie to fold things as a distraction from scratching.

  ‘Not till the work’s done,’ Marnie said.

  Only Harry noticed that Charlotte’s smile wavered.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  ‘YOU’VE DONE WELL during an extremely difficult time.’

  She was sitting in a management meeting. Lillian had blinked a bit at the budget report, and there had been a couple of explosions. The maintenance hours had trebled and there had been fines for the department for twice being on bypass. That had been nothing to do with lack of beds or waiting times, though—in fact, waiting times were down as Marnie was very clued up about the wards hiding beds and had threatened a few times to go up and make a bed herself unless the patient was accepted soon.

  Patient complaints were down too.

  Marnie put out fires as they happened rather than letting them simmer and, overall, she was pretty pleased as she made her way back down to the department.

  No one knew she was staying at Harry’s. Certainly no one could know that the reason she hadn’t arrived until ten past nine this Thursday was because of the patient Harry had been stuck with. There had been a couple of raised brows as she’d rushed in because she was so rarely late.

  But, apart from that, things had ticked along.

  Marnie was enjoying her time with the twins—she liked children. She had been adored by her brothers as they’d grown up and was now a favourite aunty. Yes, she liked children, she just didn’t want any of her own.

  She’d had her baby and wasn’t going to put herself through it ever again—she admired those that did.

  Making her way back from the meeting, Marnie walked into the pre-natal ward and couldn’t help peeking in.

  ‘Hello!’ She knocked on the open door and smiled as Emily looked up from the book she was writing in.

  ‘Marnie!’

  ‘Am I disturbing you?’

  ‘Not at all.’ Emily smiled. ‘I’m on bed rest till the baby is born. I’ve never been more up to date with my homework.’

  Marnie looked at the huge pile of books by her bed. ‘You’ve got no excuse not to get a good grade,’ Marnie said. ‘How have your parents been?’

  ‘They’ve been marvellous!’ Emily said. ‘I can’t believe how good they’ve been, even though I do I think Dad’s disappointed.’

  ‘Maybe he’s just worried,’ Marnie offered.

  ‘I guess,’ Emily said, ‘but we’ve spoken about what we’re going to do and they’re looking at doing up the granny flat so that Reece and I can live in that.’

  ‘Wow.’ Marnie smiled.

  ‘Reece has got another job while I’m on bed rest...’

  ‘You’re going to get there,’ Marnie said. ‘It sounds like you’re both using this time to put your heads down and get a future happening.’

  ‘We will.’ Emily nodded. ‘I wanted to nurse before all this happened but now I’m thinking of teaching.’

  ‘You’ll get school holidays off!’ Marnie smiled. ‘And that’s something to think about because, by the time you’re qualified, you’ll almost have a school-aged child.’ She looked at a very mature seventeen-year-old. ‘What a great teacher you’d be,’ Marnie said, ‘having already earned your qualifications in the school of life.’

  ‘Thanks, Marnie.’

  ‘I shall come and see you again, if you like.’

  ‘I’d love it.’

  That night she told Harry about visiting Emily as they ate dinner before Harry went to work.

  Charlotte and Adam had already eaten and were making a lot of noise upstairs as cabin fever started to seriously hit.

  ‘I stopped in on Emily today. She’s doing really well.’ Marnie smiled. ‘She’s got her head down studying, hoping to be a teacher, and Reece is working an extra job.’

  ‘They still have to be teenagers, though,’ Harry said, mashing butter into his potato.

  ‘She won’t have time for being a teenager once the baby comes along. It’s good that she’s getting ahead.’ Marnie stopped. Even she could hear that she sounded like her own mother and she tried to soften it. ‘It’s going to be hard for her but Emily will get there.’

  ‘Did you work right through your pregnancy?’

  ‘I went on bed rest when it was clear my placenta was failing,’ Marnie said. ‘But I’d have been straight back to my studies even if Declan...’ She really didn’t like talking about it. There was an uncomfortable silence and after a moment Harry filled it.

  ‘What were your friends like?’ Harry asked.

  ‘Siobhan was great,’ Marnie said. ‘She’s my best friend in Ireland, but can you believe she came all this way for the funeral? She’d saved up enough to go travelling for a year and she spent half of it getting here to help console me.’

  ‘What about the girls you trained with?’

  ‘Scathing.’ Marnie pulled a face. ‘Well, they weren’t really friends, we’d all started just a few months back, and I think they thought I was mad to be going through with it.’

  ‘And after you lost him?’

  ‘It was awkward,’ Marnie admitted. ‘They were busy being teenagers and I guess I wasn’t my sunniest. I took my nursing very seriously...’

  Oh, he could just imagine that she had!

  ‘That’s why I transferred to the Royal. I just didn’t want to be around anyone who knew what had happened so I gave myself a fresh start. Of course, I was always an old head on young shoulders even before...’ She looked up at him. ‘I did know what was involved having a baby—I was nearly eleven when mum had Ronan. I got up to him at night. It might have been an accident but I did know what I was taking on.’

  Harry took the plates to the sink. He could see her sitting there, staring, and he thought about a teenage Marnie, let loose for the first time. Those first few months of freedom and, oh, what a price...

  ‘Marnie. Why don’t—?’

  ‘I’m going to get the children ready for bed.’ She just halted him. Marnie didn’t want pensive conversations that changed nothing. ‘You’re off tomorrow?’ Marnie checked their plans before she headed off.

  ‘Yep, but I’m on all weekend.’ He felt as guilty as hell, not that Marnie seemed to mind.

  ‘That’s fine. What time do you have to be in Saturday morning?’

  ‘Eight.’

  ‘I’ll make sure I’m back early, then.’

  ‘Early?’

  ‘Saturday morning,’ Marnie said. ‘I told you I’m out Friday.’

  ‘Of course...’ Harry shook his head. ‘I forgot.’

  He hadn’t forgotten, not for a moment, he’d just kind of hoped things might have changed.

  But, then, why would they?

  Marnie wasn’t giving her heart away to anyone.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

 
‘I’VE BOOKED THE Langham.’

  Marnie was trying to get Charlotte to brush her teeth when Matthew called.

  Marnie loved The Langham—it was a beautiful hotel on the river and possibly her favourite place on earth, but not even the prospect of The Langham could soothe a rather awkward conversation.

  ‘Who’s that?’ Matthew asked, as a very demanding Charlotte called out for Marnie.

  ‘I’m just watching a friend’s children for a couple of days.’ She didn’t give him a moment to question it. ‘I’ll try to get there for six.’

  ‘Who were you speaking to?’ Charlotte asked, when Marnie hung up.

  ‘A friend,’ Marnie said. ‘And you should be paying more attention to your teeth than my phone calls—you didn’t do the back ones.’

  ‘I hate brushing my teeth.’

  ‘I’d noticed!’ Marnie said. ‘You’ll end up like Adam.’ Marnie smiled at Charlotte’s brother. ‘All your teeth will fall out. Show me...’ she said, and Adam took his finger and wobbled a tooth that was barely hanging. Marnie felt a curl in her stomach as he pushed it too far.

  ‘Stop now!’ Marnie said, but Adam just laughed and wiggled it harder.

  They were fun but exhausting and, as Marnie cleaned up the bathroom, she told herself there’d be fluffy towels and champagne waiting tomorrow.

  It just didn’t cheer her as much as it usually would.

  Marnie was in bed early, knowing the chances of a full night’s sleep were remote, and that was confirmed at two a.m.

  ‘Daddy!’ Marnie heard Charlotte’s first cry and got up and headed to go to her, then turned and put a dressing gown on over her pyjamas.

  ‘It’s Marnie, Charlotte,’ Marnie said, as she opened the door. ‘Daddy’s at work, remember—I’m looking after you tonight.’

  ‘I itch.’

  ‘I know,’ Marnie said. ‘It’s that horrible chickenpox but they’ll be gone soon. Shall I put on some lotion?’

  Charlotte nodded.

  ‘Would you like a drink?’

  Charlotte nodded at that suggestion too.

  ‘Why don’t you go off to the loo,’ Marnie said, ‘and I’ll be back with a drink and some nice cold cream?’